The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-07

soon as they are found out the paper is
taken away, and the prisoners are pun
ished.
DEPRIVED OF FOOD.
1.-The punishment is what is called shoBu-
batsu or the punishment of food. The 1000
of prisoners is generally reduced to one
third, and the term of punishment lasts from
one TO two weeks. Food is given In small
quantity ordinarily, but when man is sub
jected to this punishmentit is simply starva-
ton. If it lasts three days the prisoner can
scarcely walk Thus, when prisoner is TO
be punished for more than week, 1t is mn
possible to carry out the sentence without
starving him to death. So, in case OF one
weeks punishment, the ordinary quantity OF
food is giveri one day during the week, and
the punishment is carried out in eight days
| This punishment is inflicted for slight
offenses know one case of a young man
or boy of Is years who was kept in the
prison two years. Thinking to avail
himself of his time to learn aTith-
metic he made calculating instru-
ment out of paper and rice which ne saved
from his scanty food. But one day he was
| found out by the prison keepers and pun
ished with shokubatSu. The keepers are
| generally walking stealthily about before
the cages in order to catch prisoners violat-
| ing the regulations. In case of illness there
are doctors who will see the prisoners.
Whenever a prisoner goes to the doctors,
| the rule of these doctors is to say that the
| prisoners eat too much, and that thin Cruel
| must be given. So the prisoners, for fear
of being starved with weak rice Cruel, con
| Ceal their illness until they are dangerously
| sick. When it is a fever that might infect
the other prisoners in the same cage, the
prisoners petition the Governor to send the
sick prisoner to the prison hospital. Some
times the petition is granted, and the inva-
| lid is sent to the prison hospital.
THE PRISON HOSPITAL.
''But the prison hospital is 10 better than
the ordinary cages, and is frequently worse,
for many sick persons are crowded into
small space. Some dying prisoners groan
throughout the whole night. | was kept in
this prison hospital several weeks. In the
same cage there was mad old man, who
was arrested by the japanese authorities on
suspicion of being an incendiary, as he was
standing with match in his hand among
dirt heaped up in narrow lane in Toxic.
He used to cry out all night, disturbing the
other prisoners. In the cage next to mine
there was another prisoner, who was kept
there for three years, and who died grOan-
ing all night. An insane prisoner never be-
comes well in this hospital, because the
keepers tease him as a means of amusement
and use all sorts of means to excite him.
Bathing is permitted to prisoners twice
month, but the bathing is one of the dirtiest
|
place, a square wooden box about ten feet
square, which is filled with hot water.
| Twenty or thirty prisoners are talzen
out of their cages and are ordered
to press themselves into this box.
| Only ten minutes are allowed to the prison
ers to wash and dress themselves. The
water is not changed The first company of
prisoners may find water not very dirty,
but after this the water is simply mixture
of mud and dirt. The prison is managed
| by one governor and four chief keepers,
who have as subordinate about fifty under
keepers and fifty prison servants The gov
| erpOr leaves the management of the prison
entirely to the chief keepers, who superin-
| tend the prisons They wear uniform and
sword, and go around the prison. Under
keepers carry out the orders of the chief
keepers, and wear swords also. But the
| prison servants attend to the humber
Duties such as distributing food, carrying
clothing, etc. Night watching is done by
| the under-keepers and prison servants. The
| treatment of prisoners in general is most
| cruel, and these keepers are always ready to
| show their petty authority. | know one
young man who was beaten and kicked be-
cause he said, in speaking to one of the
keepers, You misunderstood me. 1t is
| impossible for these keepers to misunder-
stand anything. and thus the expression was
one of contempt for the officers.
HOLlI1CAl1 FklSON EhS.
| "The japanese authorities do not under
stand the distinction between political Of
| tenders and common offenders. Political
| offenders are kept in the same cage with
| thieves and murdererS. They have scarcely
any exercise, They are, at rare intervals,
allowed to walk about in narrow yard for
| ten or fifteen Minutes. From time to time
they are taken from their cages to be exam
| ined in a secret court. But whenever they
are taken there their hands are put in irons
and tied with a strong rope the end of
which is held by prison servants. No ex-
ception is made even in the case of
a little boy or a feeble old man.
The prisoners are subjected to many
| brutalities and annoyanceS. The authori-
ties place every obstacle in the way of
Justice to the prisoners 1t takes one or two
weeks for a letter to go from prisoner to a
friend of prisoner living ut the distance
of only few minutes walk from the prison
The letter must be examined by the Gov
ernor of the prison, the chief keepers, the
Judge of the Secret Court, the Public
Prosecutor and others beforc@it is sent out
of the prison. The present japanese Cabinet
hope to obtain the confidence of the Euro
pean powers by introducing European
dancing, changing women's dress and in
other superficial ways aping the European
civilization. So long, however, as such a
disgrace as the present prison system exists
in Japan no civilized government ought to
have any confidence in the sincerity of